Afro-Caribbean Consortium on viral and environmental risk factors for cancer

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): For several years, ongoing collaborations on prostate, breast and cervical cancer, HPV and HHV8 infections have been conducted by faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in collaboration with investigators from University and Centers located in the Caribbean islands and Africa. In addition, screening, etiologic and behavioral studies related to cancer in immigrant populations have been conducted by faculty at Colombia and Long Island Universities. The investigators involved in these studies have had various conversations regarding the feasibility of establishing a Consortium for the study of viral, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors for cancer in populations of African descent. The main objective of this proposal is to establish an Afro- Caribbean Consortium which will be launched during a conference. The goal of this conference is to bring together faculty members from U.S. institutions as well as those from Universities and Centers in the Caribbean Islands who have expressed an interest in participating in this Consortium. The primary goal of this conference is to formalize and coordinate collaborations between these investigators. The conference will serve as a medium for the participating investigators to 1) present their data 2) describe the health resources, screening and other preventive activities present in their country and 3) to formally discuss the coordination of future collaborations in order to conduct studies of cancer risk across these minority populations. The data that will be presented at this meeting would support initial proposals for studies focusing on viruses and cancer, particularly prostate and cervical cancer. However, we would like to see this develop into a broad-based resource for studies related to all aspects of the etiology, prevention and treatment of cancer in these populations. This conference will be hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) at the University of Pittsburgh. The Consortium would initially comprise the Afro-Caribbean populations of Tobago, Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica. These populations all descend from the British slave trade, centered in Barbados, and share considerable West-African ancestry with African Americans. These islands provide ideal opportunities for population-based recruitment of cancer cases and controls. In addition, we would like to include the Afro-Caribbean migrant population, as well as an African American population, around New York City, and a population in Southwest Nigeria. The audience will involve investigators who have expressed an interest in participating in the Consortium as well as other individuals who might be interested in hearing about the studies that are been conducted by these investigators (including other research investigators, postdoctoral fellows, students and the public). We have already had commitments from several investigators who are interested in participating in this Consortium. In total we estimate approximately 60-100 attendees.